12 Tasty Holiday Foods from Around the World (and How to Make Them)

Jamie Ditaranto is a traveler in a love triangle with writing and photography. Follow the drama on Twitter @jamieditaranto and Instagram @jamieditaranto.

Ditaranto joined SmarterTravel in 2015. She loves ecotourism, cities with history, and discovering local hangouts. Though she likes all the continents equally, she holds a special place in her heart for rainy little islands.

Her work has also appeared online at USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and other publications. You can check out her photography on her website.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "My instant camera comes in handy for giving instant gifts to new friends."

No matter which holidays you celebrate and no matter where you are in the world, you can trust that good food never fails to bring people together. The anticipation of a traditional meal with the familiar smells and flavors of the season is part of what makes the countdown to the holiday season both mouth-watering and exciting.

While you might be daydreaming about roasted chestnuts and Christmas hams, other cultures around the world have their own traditional holiday foods. Whether you’re traveling or staying home for the holidays, this list of holiday foods might just inspire you to add something new to your table this year.

Holiday Foods from Around the World

Image Gallery

Canada: Tourtiere

Originating in Quebec, tourtiere is a French-Canadian meat pie traditionally served at Christmas. Its buttery pie crust is typically filled with potatoes, onions, and spiced mincemeat. This dish is all about the meat, but which kind of meat depends on what's best and available in the region. For example, the tourtiere of Montreal is made of pork while those in the coastal region typically use fish.

Canada: Tourtiere

Originating in Quebec, tourtiere is a French-Canadian meat pie traditionally served at Christmas. Its buttery pie crust is typically filled with potatoes, onions, and spiced mincemeat. This dish is all about the meat, but which kind of meat depends on what's best and available in the region. For example, the tourtiere of Montreal is made of pork while those in the coastal region typically use fish.

Romania: Sarmale

In Romania, sarmale is a dish of minced pork, rice, and herbs rolled in cabbage leaves. Typically prepared in winter, it's a hearty staple on the holiday table served alongside polenta and hot peppers.

Sweden: Jansson’s Temptation

Named for a famous Swedish opera singer in the early 20th century, Jannson's temptation is a classic meal on the Swedish Christmas smorgasbord. This casserole is a toasted delight made of thinly cut potato strips, onions, anchovies, and cream.

Related:

Philippines: Bibingka

Bibingka is a type of rice cake from the Philippines usually enjoyed during the Christmas season. Traditionally served in a clay pot lined with a large banana leaf, this spongy and buttery cake is topped with sugar, cheese, or coconut—but sometimes comes in more unusual toppings such as pineapple or duck eggs. The charring of the banana leaf at the bottom of the dish gives bibingka its signature smoky flavor.

Ethiopia: Yebeg Wot

In Ethiopia, preparations for Christmas dinner begin weeks before sitting down at the table. In order to properly make yebeg wot, a thickly spiced stew, farmers fatten up their lambs ahead of time specifically for this dish. It's served on Ethiopian flat bread.

France: Buche de Noel

The typical yule log, or buche de Noel, is often the grand finale of the holiday feast. This chocolate cake with its alluring cream swirl is a beloved French dessert, and its iconic resemblance to a log speaks to the old tradition of burning holly-covered logs to symbolize a fresh start in the new year. Over time, the tradition of burning the log became the tradition of baking a cake.

United Kingdom: Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding, or plum pudding, is one of the most iconic holiday traditions in the United Kingdom. Everyone has their own recipe for it, but this gelatinous dessert is typically made of dried fruits and spices held together with eggs and suet, a kind of raw fat. Sometimes a coin will be cooked into the mixture, and whoever finds it will have good luck.

Related:

Peru: Spiced Hot Chocolate

Christmas in South America is warm, but that doesn't stop Peruvians from enjoying a traditional cup of hot cocoa. Peruvian hot chocolate is spiced with cinnamon and cloves, adding some kick to this sweet drink.

Japan: KFC

In Japan, Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally celebrated at KFC. One of the more bizarre holiday traditions, it began as a marketing campaign in the 1970s and took off from there. Now KFC offers many special deals and festive combos where you can even order cake and champagne along with your bucket of "Christmas Chicken."

Related:

Italy: Panettone

Originating in Milan, Panettone is a sweet loaf of bread baked with raisins or other dried fruits. Known for its iconic dome shape, it's a common treat for Italians at Christmas. It was also popularized throughout the world by Italian immigrants.

Denmark and Norway: Kransekake

Kransekake is a Christmas tradition shared by both the Danish and Norwegians. Literally translating into "wreath cake," this festive almond-flavored cake takes the form of the Christmas tree, often with as many as 18 layers or more. Because of the signature shape and size of each cake layer, recreating this dish will require specialty cake pans.

Trending on Smarter Travel

SmarterTravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. SmarterTravel.com also participates in the SkimLinks and SkimWords affiliate programs.